Why Is There a Chick-fil-A in Mercedes-Benz Stadium?

“Why do you have a Chick-fil-A that’s closed on Sundays in a professional football stadium?”

That’s the question customers around the country asked when news broke that Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta would have a Chick-fil-A outpost. It’s a reasonable question to ask, after all, because most professional football games are played on Sundays.

What customers and fans might not realize, though, is that they’ll have plenty of other opportunities to enjoy their favorite meal.

“We’re open for about 100 events a year that happen right here at the stadium,” says Jonathan Hollis, franchise Operator of the Chick-fil-A at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. “We have Atlanta United soccer games, concerts, college football games, high school football games, band competitions and more. We even have a monster truck rally!”

As a matter of fact, Hollis and his team serve so many guests during each event that they begin preparing nearly four hours before stadium doors open. For Hollis, having the chance to run a Chick-fil-A restaurant in a venue like Mercedes-Benz Stadium not only gives him an opportunity to serve customers, but to also be a part of their event experience.

“Having a Chick-fil-A in the stadium allows us to serve a myriad of people throughout the year at all sorts of events,” says Hollis. “We’re here when they’re making memories. And we want to create those memories with them – it’s what we do best.”

Watch the video below to hear more from Hollis about serving Chick-fil-A at one of the country’s most premiere venues.

When fans entered the all-new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on September 2 for the first of two Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games, they were met with new sights, sounds and excitement. But one familiar gameday tradition made the new stadium feel just like home: more than 4,000 cows parachuting down from the stadium rafters.

What’s the best dish you’ve ever brought to a tailgate? Spicy wings? An old family recipe for potato salad? If you’re not much of a chef, the answer to this question might just be, “Myself!” To kick off the start of this year’s tailgating season – and to celebrate the teams that will be playing in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Games – we are combining two of our favorite things to create the ultimate tailgating dish: Football and Chicken.